China

Myanmar is planning more promotional activities to attract visitors from Macau and Hong Kong, while implementing digital marketing to develop the country’s hotels and tourism sector, reported the Myanmar News Agency.

Vietnam’s tra fish export sector was probably the most improved industry this year, but rampant production could lead to excess supplies and price drops, according to Viet Dragon Securities Company (VDSC).

Vietnam’s economy expanded by 7.1 percent in 2018, but its increasing openness and reliance on foreign investment suggest it is unlikely to be spared from the global growth slowdown arising from rising trade protectionism and tighter financial conditions.

Vietnam exported about 1.58 million tonnes of rubber in 2018 – worth 2.1 billion USD and up 14.5 percent in volume, but down 6.6 percent in value year-on-year, the General Department of Vietnam Customs reported.

The Sessions Court of Kuala Lumpur decided on January 4 that a joint trial will be held for both former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and former 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy for allegedly tampering a 1MDB audit report.

Vietnam actively contributed to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2018, which will serve as the foundation for the country to perform the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020, said Ambassador Tran Duc Binh, Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to ASEAN.

China remains optimistic that the shelved East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Malaysia will be revived, and is hoping for a win-win solution that will benefit both nations, The Star newspaper quoted Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian as saying.

Vietnam is deemed highly likely to curb its inflation below 4 percent in 2019, experts said at a seminar in Hanoi on January 3, which focused on national market and price movements during 2018 and forecasts for 2019.